/ 

5STH Congress. ( HOUSP: OF KEFltE8P:XTATIVES. \ Document 

3d Session. \ i No. 340. 



SEARCHING FOR REMAINS OF ADMIRAL JOHN PAUL 

JONES, ETC. 



MESSAGE 

FROM THK 

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, 

RECOMMENDING 

AN APPROPRIATION BY CONGRESS TO BE EXPENDED IN SEARCH- 
ING FOR THE REMAINS OF ADMIRAL JOHN PAUL JONES IN 
PARIS, FRANCE, AND TRANSMITTING THE REPORT OF AMBAS- 
SADOR PORTER ON THE SUBJECT, AND ALSO URGING THAT 
PROVISION BE MADE FOR THE ERECTION OF MONUMENTS TO 
THE MEMORIES OF JOHN PAUL JONES AND JOHN BARRY. 



February 15, 1905. — Referred to the Committee on the Li])rary and ordered to be 

printed. 



To t/tr Sendti' and House of Representatives: 

For a number of year.s efforts have been made to contiiin the his- 
torical statement that the remain.s of Admiral Jolin Paul Jones were 
interred in a certain piece of around in the city of Paris then owned 
by the Government and used at the time as a l)urial place for foreig'n 
Protestants. These efforts have at last resulted in documentary proof 
that John Paul Jones was buried on July 20, 17^2, between 8 and 9 
o'clock, p. m.. in the now abandoned cemetery of St. Louis, in the 
northeastern section of Paris. About 500 bodies were interred there, 
and the body of the Admiral was pi'obably among- the last hundred 
buried. It was incased in a leaden coffin, calcidated to withstand the 
ravages of time. 

The cemetery was about 2lO feet long by I'iO feet wide. Since its 
disuse as a burial place the soil has been fflled to a level and covered 
almost completely by liuildings, most of them of an inferior class. 

The American ambas.sador in Paris, being- satisfied that it is practi- 
cal to discover and identify the remains of John Paul Jones, has, after 
prolonged negotiations with the present holders of the property and 
the tenants thereof, secured from them options in writing which give 
him the right to dig in all parts of the property during a period of 
three months for the purpose of making the necessary excavations and 



2 SEARCHING FOR REMAINS OF JOHN PAUL JONES, ETC, 

searches, upon condition of a stated compensation for tlie damage and 
annoyance caused by the work. The actual search is to be conducted 
by the chief enoiueer of the numicipal department of Paris having- 
charge of sul)terranean works at a cost which has been carefully 
estimated. The aml)assador gives the entire cost of the work, includ- 
ing the options, compensation, cost of excavating, and caring for the 
i-emains as not exceeding 180.000 francs, or -135,000, on the supposi- 
tion that the body ma}- not be found until the whole area has been 
searched. If earlier discovered the expense would be proportionately 
less. 

The great interest which our people feel in the story of Paul Jones's 
life, the national sense of gratitude for the great service done by him 
toward the achievement of independence, and the sentiment of mingled 
distress and regret felt because the body of one of our greatest heroes 
lies, forgotten, and unmarked in foreign soil lead me to approve the 
ambassador's suggestion that Congress should take advantage of this 
unexpected opportunity to do proper honor to the memory of Paul' 
Jones, and appropriate the sum of $35,000, or so much thereof as may 
be necessarv, for the purposes above described, to be expended under 
the direction of the Secretary of State. 

The report of Amijassador Porter, with the plans and photograph 
of the property, is annexed hereto. 

In addition to the foregoing- recommendation I urge that Congress 
emphasize the value set by our people upon the achievements of the 
naval commanders in our war of independence by providing for the 
erection of appropriate monuments to the memory of two, at least, of 
those who now lie in undistinguished graves, John Paul Jones and 
John Barry. These two men hold unique positions in the histor}^ of 
the birth of our Navy. Their services were of the highest moment to 
the young Kepulilic in the days when it remained to be determined 
whether or not she should win out in her struggle for independence. 
It is eminently titting that these services should now be commemorated 
in suital)le manner. 

Theodore Roosevelt. 

The White House, FSruanj Li, 190-j. 



No. 13SJ:.] American Embassy, 

Paris, January 24", 1905. 

Sir: Referring to mv last report, dated October 20, 1903, concern- 
ing- the search for the 'grave of John Paul Jones, I have the honor to 
communicate that since then I have continued uninterruptedly the 
investigations and negotiations with the property holders and am now 
able to report the final and satisfactory result of my eflorts, which 
have extended over live vears. 

The additional evidence which I have succeeded in procuring since 
that report fuUv substantiates the following facts: 

John Paul Jones was certainly buried on July 20, 1792, l)etween_8 
and 9 o'clock p. m., in the now abandoned cemetery of St. Louis, in 
the northeast section of Paris, property then owned by the Govern- 
ment and used at that time as a l)urial place for foreign Protestants. 
The land is about 2lo feet long by 129 feet wide. 



SEARCHING FOR REMAIN!^ OF JOHN I'AUL JONES, ETC. 3 

It has been leveled up l>y a tilling of earth and is now covered com- 
pletely by ))uildinus, most of them of an inferior class. When over- 
tures were tirst made by me to tiie proprietor and tenants, \yith a view 
of making- extensive excavations for the purpose of searching for the 
o-rave of Admiral Jones, their demands were ^c exorbitant that it 
seemed that it might be better to purchase the whole property and sell 
it after the examination of the graves had l)een made. There were so 
many objections, however, to such a procedure, and the cost would 
have been so great and so problematical, that I deemed it necessary to 
appear to abandon the whole project for a time and let the excitement 
die out before again attempting to deal with the landowners. 

To-day, after long and tedious negotiations occupying more than a 
year, and in the course of which it was necessary to treat with the 
propi'ietors and numerous tenants, I have secured options in writing 
from them which give me the right to dig in all ]jarts of the property 
during a period of three months, for the purpose of making the nec- 
essary excavations and searches, upon condition that they are to 
receive, as compensation for the annoyance caused by the work, vari- 
ous sums, of which the total amount is 25,(»0(» francs (|-J:,85U), and an 
agreement to replace the earth and restore the property to its present 
condition. The Government department of " Les Carrieres," which 
has charge of all the underground excavations and searches conducted 
in Paris, has, at my solicitation, been authorized by the prefect of the 
Seine to perform the work upon being reimbursed for the expense 
incurred, and the experienced chief engineer of that department has 
made an estimate of the cost and places it at l^jO.OOO francs ($25,300) 
as a maxinuuu; that is, supposing that the body should be found only 
at the last stroke of the pick. 

A contingent sum of 10,000 francs (|l,9-iO) should be provided f 
cover damages to buildings and individuals that might be accidentally 
injured; a further amount of 5,000 francs (1^970) for the purpose of 
procuring a suitable casket, renting a receiving vault, and caring for 
the remains while awaiting transportation, and 10,000 francs ($1,91:0) 
for fees of architect superintending the work. This would require a 
maximum appropriation of 180,000 francs (|35,0<»O) .so much of which 
to be expended as may be necessar\' to secure the body. There were 
about 500 bodies buried in this cemetery. Admiral Jones, according 
to the best calculations I can make, was among the last 100 interred, so 
that his body in all proba))ility lies near one or the other extremity of 
the cemetery, according to whether the interments began near the 
entrance' or at the farther end. As the search would begin at the 
opposite extremities the chances are that the body would be found 
without having to run the excavations under the entire property, and 
that the expense would be reduced accordingly. The proofs that 1 
have collected to enable me to form a judgment as to the advisability 
of undertaking a systematic search in this cemetery are too voluminous 
to trouble you with them. I will give you the result of my convic- 
tions based upon a long and careful study of all the circumstances. 

First. There is authentic documentary evidence that John Paul 
Jones was buried in Paris, and was not buried in any other cemetery, 
and convincing proof that he was buried in the St. Louis cemetery. 

Second. There is positive documentary proof that he was buried in 
a leaden coffin. An authentic letter written to his eldest sister, Mrs. 



4 SEARCHING FOR REMAINS OF JOHN PAUL JONES, ETC. 

Janet Taylor, of Scotland, by Col. Sanniol Blackden, his nearest friend 
and a witness of his will, says: 

His body was put into a leaden oottin on the 20th July, 1792, that in case the 
United States, which he had so essentially served and with so much honoi', should 
claim his remains they might be more easily removed. 

There is nothing- in the character of the soil, in the judgment of 
scientists, that could lead to the belief that the lead has deteriorated 
and ceased to protect the body. 

Third. While the bodies have been removed from some of the aban- 
doned cemeteries within the city limits, there is no record or indica- 
tion of any removals from this one except the dig-o-ing- up of some 
human ])ones in excavating for a boiler pit and for a small drain, and 
the removal of the body of an Englishwoman to England in 1803 that 
had been buried in a leaden coffin. There is. therefore, every prob- 
ability that Admiral Jones's remains lie undisturbed to-day in this 
abandoned cemetery. 

Fourth. As to the identihcation of his body, the foreign Protestants 
buried in this cemetery being of a poor class, including many soldiers 
of the Swiss Guard, whose friends could not afford the considerable 
expense of leaden coffins, it is highly pro))ahle that there are not a 
dozen such coffins there. It is altogethei' likely that those providing 
coffins of this expensive kind would spend a few francs more affixing- 
a plate bearing the name of the deceased, particularly in the case of 
Admiral Jones, whose body it was supposed would be taken some da}'' 
to the United States. If the name is not on the coffin, the identifica- 
tion might be verified by its location in the cemetery among- the last 
buried there, by the measurement of the body, Paul Jones being- 
described in Anecdotes of the Court of Louis XVI as "" o feet 7 inches 
high, slender in build, exquisitely symmetrical in form, with noticeable 
perfect development of limbs,'"' the chance that some of the bodies in the 
few other leaden coffins might be those of women or children and could 
be excluded, or by some token in the casket, as in those days some keep- 
sake was often placed with the remains in the coffin. I have found a 
complete list of his uniforms, swords, and decorations, which were 
disposed of after his death, according- to the provisions of his will, so 
that he was not buried in a uniform, and no sword or decoration was 
placed in the coffin. 

It is humiliating to the American pride to know that the father of 
the American Navv has lain in an obscure and squalid quarter of this 
city for more than a century; that the ground above his grave has been 
desecrated by its use for niarket £«-ardening, the Inirying of dogs, and 
used by contra(>tors for emptying cesspools, and that this heroic com- 
mander was interred l)y charity. I hnd from official records that when 
his death was solemnlv announced in the French General Assciiibly and 
when that bodv appointed a large deputation to attend his funeral and 
adjourned out of respect to his memory a statement was made by a 
deputy that there were no funds for providing- for his funeral. Then 
it was'that a noble and generous man. M. Pierre Francois Simonneau, 
a commissarv of the King and commissary of police of that quarter of 
Paris, proposed to pav the expense out of "his own pocket, which he did. 
I recently discovered, where I least expected to find it, the original 
l)ill, the amount being 462 francs— about $92. 



sp:ar("Hing for kkmains of .tohn tail .ionks, ktc. 5 

Now that the exteiisivo pi-eliiniiuirv researches have been tiiii.shed 
and a very favorable option obtained to enter upon the premises and 
make the necessary excavations, it seems the proper time to mai^e an 
eti'ort to secure the remains of this illustrious commander and to inter 
theiu with becoming honors in the country upon whose history he 
shed such luster. 1 am convinced that if this opportunity be lost 
there will never again be so fortunate a combination of circumstances 
favoring- the procuring of the body. While the pro])rietor and ten- 
ants will not name in writing a definite period during which the right 
to begin the work shall coiitiiuie in force, yet 1 feel that I can hold 
them to it till after the present session of Congress to await an 
appropriation. After that time there will be changes no doubt among 
the smaller tenants, and the negotiations would have to l)e undertaken 
anew with much less chance of success. It will be necessary to act 
(piickly in order to finish the work before the approach of warm 
weather, as there is objection here to turning up cemetery earth at 
that season for fear of creating sickness. 

Although I had located and verified the place of burial long before 
this, I could not recommend an appropaiation for securing the body 
until I could obtain a definite and economical agreement, giving the 
right to make all the necessary excavations. I now feel justified in 
reconuuending an appeal to Congress for an early maxinuim of appro- 
priation of §35,(100 for the purpose herein named, upon condition that 
proper vouchers, duly receipted, be furnished for such portion of this 
sum as it may be found necessary to expend. The small expenses 
incurred in pursuing the searches up to this time are not included in 
the above estimate, as these have been borne personally. Even if the 
whole of the collected evidence should prove deceptive and for some 
unaccountalde reason the body after all should not l)e found, it seems 
to me that it would be well worth this small expenditure and all the 
trouble taken to settle once and forever the question of the possibility 
of discovering this historic grave. 

In this connection I wish to express my deep appreciation of the 
vahiable aid rendered in this work by the able second secretary of 
this embass}^, Col. A. Bailly-Blanchard, who has been associated with 
me from the start in making the elaborate researches required to bring- 
about the present result. 

^ Let me, in conclusion, place on record my sense of gratitude to the 
French authorities who, from the highest official to the humblest 
sul)ordinate, have manifested the deepest interest in the subject and 
have given me all possible facilities and assistance. 

I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant, 

Horace Porter. 
Hon. John Hay, 

Secrt'tary of SUde^ ^Yas]^n^<Jt<>l)^ I). C. 



RKCAPITULATION. 



Amount agreed upon as compensation to tfie proprietor and tenants for per- 
mission to excavate in the cemetery proper (15,000 francs ) $2, 910 

In the courtyard, if necessary to search there ( 10,000 francs) 1, 940 

^laximum cost of the excavations throughout the entire cemetery and court- 
yard, replacing the earth, and restoring the property (130,000 francs) 25, 300 



6 SEARCHING FOR REMAINS OF JOHN PAUL JONES, ETC. 

To cover possible damages to buildings and individuals accidentally injured 

( 10,000 francs) _. ... $1, 940 

Cost of casket, rental of receiving vault, and caring for remains while awaiting 

transportation ( o,000 francs ) 970 

Fees to architect superintending the work (10,000 francs) 1, 940 

Maximum appropriation required (180,000 francs ) 35, 000 

IXCLOSl'RES. 

1. Photograph of present appearance of property. 

2. Plan of the property in 1792. 

3. Plan of the property in 1905. 



SEARCHING FOR REMAINS OE JOHN PAUL JONES, ETC. Y 




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H Doc. 3^P_ 58 3 



